I'm no expert on pedals, but I do know good engineering when I see it. This new pedal is designed by a friend of mine, who also happens to own the machining company that makes our Origin hardware. The Malleus pedal program is marketed through Highwood drums in the UK. Here's a link to their site http://www.highwooddrums.co.uk/products/malleuspedals

The design is modular, & can be switched from a single left or right handed pedal, to a double left or right handed pedal. Every moving part runs on ball race bearings. I know the double pedal linkage looks bulky, but it's all aluminium, & there's zero latency as far as I can make out. The standard of build is just miles better than anything else I've seen or used. Absolutely every single parameter can be adjusted, so customisation to your exact needs is a given.

I've been trying out a single pedal for the last few months, & it's a dream to use once dialed in. I especially like the power - speed adjustment. It actually allows someone like me of limited foot technique to pull off some cool stuff. Pricing is very good too, especially the single.

The funny looking "U" bracket you can see attaches to your bass drum hoop. Once fixed, the pedal clips in place via a ball joint. This not only allows fast assembly & breakdown without hoop rash issues, it also allows you to adjust the angle of the pedal in relation to the drum.

Anyhow, I think these are certainly worth checking out & including in your list if you're thinking of getting a pedal/pedals in the near future.

i like the look of that pedal a lot. i like how its shown speed and power on the side, i have to look in the manual to remember which coler cam offers wich adjustment on my pedals. it certainly has a bulky look to it, does it break down easily?

I'm glad you re-loaded this thread Andy, this new pedal design sounds very interesting indeed, it features some innovations that I haven't seen on any other pedals, although I'm not a specialist on pedals.

I like the fact that every single parameter can be adjusted, but I would be very tempted to try the beater position in relation to speed and/or power, although very often, once you dial in a setting that suits your playing, you hardly change it, but it's nice to be able to have all variations at hands to do so.

The U clip on the bass drum hoop is a clever design IMO, not only it allows for fast setup and take down, you can adjust slightly the angle, and every time you setup the kit the pedal is exactly in the same position, you only mount the U clamp once too, therefore reducing wear and tear of the BD hoop, clever.

Here's a couple videos I found on this new pedal, it's well explained and worth a look for those interested :)

MAd i just wathced the videos. i think that bass clamp is really innovative. thats a great idea and once you mount the clamp, the pedal goes on in one shot every time. My only issue is still with the double pedal rod. it looks like it has 4 allen screws to take it apart, i could be wrong. i personnaly dont like using anything but a drum key, that way i only need one tool with me, not a small black allen key i could lose on a dark stage.

One thing I like MUCH better than the DW pedals, and that's the knurled spring tension adjustment.....just like the Camco....SIMPLE!
With the DW3000 I have, you have to loosen the top(same), but then I have to push the rod down, screw the stupid bottom screw in, and then re-tighten the lock screw....I like it when ya just back off the lock, screw to tension you want with the BOTTOM knurled knob, and tighten down the top lock screw......1 hand operation......simple.

It's like DW took a perfectly fine and EZ adjustment process, and went out of their way to make it more difficult....this isn't Rocket Science!

That hoop clamp and adjustable footboard pin is an awesome idea, I have a few questions regarding the setup though:
It looks like the pedal/clamp can rotate on that pin, does it ever turn sideways, especially if it gets some slop?
If that hoop clamp ever comes off the bass drum in transit, you'd better have another 1 handy- I imagine you can buy a spare separately?
The center shaft that everything attaches to seems to be round, I'm wondering if this will be prone to slippage, especially as more time/use goes on.

The adjustable angle beater head is cool, it doesn't seem to mess with the footboard angle.

I've never played a direct drive, only a strap drive(old leather slingerland from the 60's), a single chain camco, and now my dbl chain 3K.

I've been looking for my new "dream double pedal" ever since my demon drives were stolen last year.

I'm somewhat of a double pedal buff. I have a pair of the original Axis pedals, a newer Axis longboard pair, the trick dominator, the offset, (had) the demon drive and Eliminators.

I know all of the major pedals pluses and minuses. This pedal seems to address them:

1. No cast parts. Everything machined from wrought aluminum. (the demon drive is almost perfect for a direct drive but it fails on this count)
2. High end bearings.
3. No latency on slave
4. Slave/main beaters strike equidistant from center. (big problem with the axis if you don't trigger)
5. Highly adjustable
6. Actually available (as opposed to the Devils hoof Polish pedal in the States)
7. Uses an expansion spring (as opposed to that horrible feeling compression spring on the Trick)

I'm really considering these pedals. (Which, if you know me, means that I will probably order a pair with a week)

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JoJo Mayer

MAd i just wathced the videos. i think that bass clamp is really innovative. thats a great idea and once you mount the clamp, the pedal goes on in one shot every time. My only issue is still with the double pedal rod. it looks like it has 4 allen screws to take it apart, i could be wrong. i personnaly dont like using anything but a drum key, that way i only need one tool with me, not a small black allen key i could lose on a dark stage.

Actually the length of the double pedal connecting rod is a "set it and forget it" type of thing for most people. After all, your legs aren't getting any longer between gigs.

The round connecting rod lends itself to the set it and forget it philosophy as well. If it's well engineered, it won't slip. The Axis rod is round and it never slips.

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JoJo Mayer

I've been looking for my new "dream double pedal" ever since my demon drives were stolen last year.

I'm somewhat of a double pedal buff. I have a pair of the original Axis pedals, a newer Axis longboard pair, the trick dominator, the offset, (had) the demon drive and Eliminators.

I know all of the major pedals pluses and minuses. This pedal seems to address them:

1. No cast parts. Everything machined from wrought aluminum. (the demon drive is almost perfect for a direct drive but it fails on this count)
2. High end bearings.
3. No latency on slave
4. Slave/main beaters strike equidistant from center. (big problem with the axis if you don't trigger)
5. Highly adjustable
6. Actually available (as opposed to the Devils hoof Polish pedal in the States)
7. Uses an expansion spring (as opposed to that horrible feeling compression spring on the Trick)

I'm really considering these pedals. (Which, if you know me, means that I will probably order a pair with a week)

Jeff, as I'm not a double pedal player, please don't take my word as any indication of suitability for fast double stuff. I'm sure they're superb, but I can't personally testify to that. What I can tell you is that the single pedal plays superbly, & that the engineering standard is the best I've seen.

If you do want a set, let me know in advance. The order will need to go through Highwood, & I can't get you any discount, but as your pedals would be built to order, I can let Mark know they're on the way to a valued customer. BTW, the standard beaters they come with are crap. The thinking is that existing double bass players have their own beater preference. I did try their beater upgrade c/w the balance weight. Really good stuff. I'll check if they're available yet.

I know all of the major pedals pluses and minuses. This pedal seems to address them...

Indeed, but there's one little snag with these pedals, they haven't got a hinged heel plate, which mean for me that my heel will be resting on the floor and not on the pedal, my fulcrum point on a pedal is typically about 2/3 up the footboard, with my current Mapex Falcon, the heel just make it on the heel plate. The Malleus seems at a fair height at the hinge point and the footboard is not that long either, would it affect my balance, I don't know without trying it.

Indeed, but there's one little snag with these pedals, they haven't got a hinged heel plate, which mean for me that my heel will be resting on the floor and not on the pedal, my fulcrum point on a pedal is typically about 2/3 up the footboard, with my current Mapex Falcon, the heel just make it on the heel plate. The Malleus seems at a fair height at the hinge point and the footboard is not that long either, would it affect my balance, I don't know without trying it.

You are correct. I have to give Pearl credit for their Demon Drive's short board/longboard conversion feature.

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JoJo Mayer

Actually the length of the double pedal connecting rod is a "set it and forget it" type of thing for most people. After all, your legs aren't getting any longer between gigs.

The round connecting rod lends itself to the set it and forget it philosophy as well. If it's well engineered, it won't slip. The Axis rod is round and it never slips.

no what i meant was taking that rod off looks like you need an allen key not a drum key which in my mind add a loose small tool to keep track of. surely you take your pedals apart when moving you kit right? my rod comes off with 4 small tension rod type screws, and i have tape on the inner rods so its exact every time, i set it and forget it too.

no what i meant was taking that rod off looks like you need an allen key not a drum key which in my mind add a loose small tool to keep track of. surely you take your pedals apart when moving you kit right? my rod comes off with 4 small tension rod type screws, and i have tape on the inner rods so its exact every time, i set it and forget it too.

Oh, I see what you mean now. Yes, drumkey operated screws there are more practical.

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JoJo Mayer

That hoop clamp and adjustable footboard pin is an awesome idea, I have a few questions regarding the setup though:
It looks like the pedal/clamp can rotate on that pin, does it ever turn sideways, especially if it gets some slop?
If that hoop clamp ever comes off the bass drum in transit, you'd better have another 1 handy- I imagine you can buy a spare separately?
The center shaft that everything attaches to seems to be round, I'm wondering if this will be prone to slippage, especially as more time/use goes on.

The adjustable angle beater head is cool, it doesn't seem to mess with the footboard angle.

I've never played a direct drive, only a strap drive(old leather slingerland from the 60's), a single chain camco, and now my dbl chain 3K.

Looks nicely engineered, with a lot of thought given to it for sure.

I guess my questions above were so mundane that they didn't deserve a response?

That hoop clamp and adjustable footboard pin is an awesome idea, I have a few questions regarding the setup though:
It looks like the pedal/clamp can rotate on that pin, does it ever turn sideways, especially if it gets some slop?
If that hoop clamp ever comes off the bass drum in transit, you'd better have another 1 handy- I imagine you can buy a spare separately?
The center shaft that everything attaches to seems to be round, I'm wondering if this will be prone to slippage, especially as more time/use goes on.

The adjustable angle beater head is cool, it doesn't seem to mess with the footboard angle.

I've never played a direct drive, only a strap drive(old leather slingerland from the 60's), a single chain camco, and now my dbl chain 3K.

Looks nicely engineered, with a lot of thought given to it for sure.

I'm sorry I'm late back on this. I have been on the forum in the last few days, but I've also been ultra busy. I spent some time with Mark (Malleus Pedals) the other day. Mark's machining shop is where we make all our Origin series hardware. He was showing me the latest pedal design adjustments, & they all make perfect engineering sense to me.

The pedal can rotate on the ball anchor fitted to the bass drum hoop. This is a deliberate feature to allow players to adjust the angle of the pedal to the drum. I tried a double setup, as their endorsing artist just happened to be setting up his kit to test the latest adjustments. Man, those doubles are as fast as hell. Way too fast for this old fart to fully exploit. Each pedal has a grip tape to the underside that keeps them nicely planted. No movement whatsoever.

I do want to take one design point, & that's the use of hex screws (cap head or otherwise) instead of drum key operated screws. Hex screws are stronger size for size, & also access with a hex key is typically better. For those reasons, we're using hex screws for the string/ribbon clamps on our new strainer. I get the 1 tool convenience of using tension screws for everything, but the fact is, they're not always the best engineering choice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reggae_Mangle

Someone needs to do a review!

- Reggae Mangle

Rhythm magazine have just done a comprehensive review. I believe it will appear on the Music Radar site over the next few weeks. i'm informed they gave Malleus pedals 5 stars.

Quote:

Originally Posted by konaboy

That might have something to do with NO ONE on here besides Andy has tried them. And since he's fairly busy building drums this probably isn't the first thread he checks.

Yes, sorry this is a single source thread. These pedals were only launched at LDS in October, so they're very new indeed. I'm no pedal expert. It's not something I concentrate on, but I did think they were worthy of bringing to the attention of forum members.

I do want to take one design point, & that's the use of hex screws (cap head or otherwise) instead of drum key operated screws. Hex screws are stronger size for size, & also access with a hex key is typically better. For those reasons, we're using hex screws for the string/ribbon clamps on our new strainer. I get the 1 tool convenience of using tension screws for everything, but the fact is, they're not always the best engineering choice.

Just my non engineering opinion, and i really like these pedals honesly, i couldnt live with the hex screws. i have dropped my key on a dark stage and somtimes it take 30 looong seconds to find it. a hex key would end up in another dimesion and leave me helpless to set up my pedals and the fear of that alone is a no deal for me. engineering aside, practicality wins over for me. i like the fact the my key fits all of the pieces of my kit and my pedals. i carry more than one key, and in this case a backup hex key makes sense i guess but i just cant get past that for some reason. its like the left hand thread scews, some people hated the idea of that and this is one thing i seem to not like one these pedals. i have to let it go damnit!!!!!!!

Just my non engineering opinion, and i really like these pedals honesly, i couldnt live with the hex screws. i have dropped my key on a dark stage and somtimes it take 30 looong seconds to find it. a hex key would end up in another dimesion and leave me helpless to set up my pedals and the fear of that alone is a no deal for me. engineering aside, practicality wins over for me. i like the fact the my key fits all of the pieces of my kit and my pedals. i carry more than one key, and in this case a backup hex key makes sense i guess but i just cant get past that for some reason. its like the left hand thread scews, some people hated the idea of that and this is one thing i seem to not like one these pedals. i have to let it go damnit!!!!!!!

In many ways, I agree, & certainly with the practicality of only needing one key, but sometimes (not necessarily on this pedal), access dictates a drum key isn't great. Drum keys need a clearance around them to enable them to function. That means a generous counterbore in any application that requires the screw to be recessed. Equally an issue, any application where the screw is in close proximity to a shoulder, meaning the drum key can't rotate.

Sometimes compromises are required, & it depends which side of the fence you fall. Inevitably, you'll end up displeasing some & satisfying others.

Hello to all.
My name is Mark Hall, and i'm part of the malleus team.
With Andy's prompting, i have joined my first drum forum - drummerworld.

My thanks to Andy for posting a thread about my pedals.

Andy has covered alot of the questions you guys have put forward already.
(Again, he has my thanks!)

I'm a new member on drummerworld - but i will do my very best to answer any questions/concerns you folk may have.
I value constructive input from fellow drummers. It allows me to improve my design.

On the hex subject - Generation 3 of the pedals (in production now) will feature the same hex key size throughout. - 4mm AF
All settings inc double pedal parts will run with 4mm hex keys.
Andy has covered the reasons we use high tensile fixings, so i wont go over it again.

My point - with everything needing a 4mm hex key - it is very easy for us to supply 2 or 3 keys per pedal.

The picture below shows a bondhus style hex key.
These keys allow up to 25 deg miss-alignment when in use.
I can see this factor being a distinct advantage on ANY pedal.....but you wont get it with a standard tunning key.
I love these hex keys - in my workshop - i couldn't live without them.

To answer your question - quite the opposite!
The bondus keys drive the bolt in the rotation axis better than standard keys IMHO.
The human hand is the reason 90% of bolts cross thread.The bondus keys actually forgive us any angle error thus reducing the chance of cross threading.
Us heavy handed folk (drummers!) are guilty of driving things too hard + overtightening things etc. I'm guilty of it, because i'm in fear of something coming loose as i'm playing.
This was something we tried to address with our pedal fasteners.
We wanted the 'set and forget' factor on every adjustement.

The bondus key itself is not a new invention - it's over 20 years old now.
It's not common in the drumming world and i fail to understand why.
It's standard issue with guitar / bass etc

I would highly recommend picking a set up from a local hardware dealer.
For anything practical, IE, cars, DIY etc they are fantastic and worth having in the tool box.
I really do mean it when i say i couldn't live without them.

That's a really impressive pedal, easily among the very best that exist ATM.
One thing that I'm typically interested in a pedal is the play in the hinge as some drummers like to use the swivel motion. Is there any, will there be some over time?

Once again - thankyou for the warm welcome and thankyou for the positive comments.

The swivel motion is something i use alot in my playing.
The hinge is fully ball raced both sides and fastened laterally to the rotational plane
- see pic. (Mobile phone pic, sorry!)
Many pedals hold the bearings on the OD and ID only. Concentrating primarily on the up and down forces.
This works fine........for the first 6 months of use!
We do the same, but we also apply a small amount side force. Standard closed bearings will take a small amount of side pressure with no failing.
More than enough to handle the forces generated on a footplate without moving to thrust bearings. We've made the bearing housing from stainless steel and the fastener is A2.
The standoff's are impact resistant acetyl / delrin - they play a major role in absorbing some of the forces.

But -

Moving parts wear. The laws of physics demand it. (Designers bane!)
I wouldn’t be daft enough to say our pedal hinge will never wear, but I would be confident enough to say it has an enormous amount of staying power!

Guys, Mark being on this forum offers an ideal opportunity to question first hand. He really knows his stuff, & you can trust his judgement. Oh, & BTW, he's also a bloody good player!

We entrust Mark to manufacture our Origin series hardware. He's also making our new snare series hardware, & we're currently engaged in a joint Guru-Malleus development of the ultimate snare strainer. In short, we trust Mark to machine stuff that's absolutely critical to arguably one of the finest series of percussion instruments available. You know our Guru policy is zero compromise, & Mark's work/design ethos echos ours.

Mark, I'll see you in a couple of hours time for our weekly design session, & no dodgy pizza this evening eh ;)

no what i meant was taking that rod off looks like you need an allen key not a drum key which in my mind add a loose small tool to keep track of. surely you take your pedals apart when moving you kit right? my rod comes off with 4 small tension rod type screws, and i have tape on the inner rods so its exact every time, i set it and forget it too.

If you read the product description on the website, it explains that the screws they use are using the Allen screws because they are much more durable and of higher quality than the tuning key-headed screws. The ones on the Malleus are supposed to hold for longer, no excess tightening/screws coming loose every now and then.

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That's not a pedal, that is a work of art! If I bought one of these, there is no way I would stick it down on the floor behind a bass drum and boot it, I'd have it on a plinth in my living room, spot lighting and all!

If you read the product description on the website, it explains that the screws they use are using the Allen screws because they are much more durable and of higher quality than the tuning key-headed screws. The ones on the Malleus are supposed to hold for longer, no excess tightening/screws coming loose every now and then.

yeah i get that, my 4 screws have never come loose though on my pearls and that wasnt the point of my concern. pedal looks great and is designed exceptionally well. im not trying to discredit these pedals at all.

That's not a pedal, that is a work of art! If I bought one of these, there is no way I would stick it down on the floor behind a bass drum and boot it, I'd have it on a plinth in my living room, spot lighting and all!

Lol! Thankyou for the kind comments HMNY - i'd love one in the living room myself, but i have a wife........so i have no chance!

yeah i get that, my 4 screws have never come loose though on my pearls and that wasnt the point of my concern. pedal looks great and is designed exceptionally well. im not trying to discredit these pedals at all.

I understand your concerns Hyde - we get alot of resistance concerning the fixings. I appreciate you're not giving the pedal a hard time, but you do have made a valid point about hex keys being lost due to dark colour.

Our point is this - The pedal should be 'setup' in a practice room etc
Once set - nothing comes loose - you shouldn't need to make adjustments at a gig/show.
Place the pedal under the quick release mechanism and that's it, you're done.
This works perfectly for single pedals - but let's be honest - the double pedal player will need to fasten the uni bar in place......so a degree of 'setting' is rqd.

We are soon to supply our own branded hex keys with the pedal rather than generic versions.
We intend to grace the hex key with a branded handle - maybe this handle needs to be made from a hi visibility material?!

thanks Mark, i have to say, your mounting idea is so simple and amazing i cant believe it hasnt been done before. simplifying the adjustments for the beater makes so much sense too. i really wish you a ton of luck with these pedals. im a double pedal player so thats the only reason i could think that would affect me personally, thats all.